


turn off the lights (come and lay with me)

by youreanovelidea



Series: we got lost in each other (cause time wasn't catching us) [3]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Adorable Monkey D. Luffy, Gen, M/M, Made In Hollywood by LANY, Protective Roronoa Zoro, help I’ve fallen into one piece and i cant get up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-02 07:45:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17260325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youreanovelidea/pseuds/youreanovelidea
Summary: He can feel Luffy’s breath against his throat—slow and steady—and he automatically wraps an arm around the other’s waist, hand curling over his hip.“Go to sleep, Captain,” he says softly. “You need rest just as much as I do.”(Or, Zoro would do anything for his captain and Luffy just wants his swordsman to be safe)





	turn off the lights (come and lay with me)

“Don’t do that anymore,” Luffy says, eyes dark and serious.

It’s strange to see his captain so somber—strange enough that Zoro sets down his swords and gives the other man his full attention. “Do what?”

They’ve just defeated Arlong and his men and Zoro is covered in bandages—white cloth wrapped over and over again around his torso. The rest of the crew is still on the island, but Zoro had gone back to the ship, eager to get away from the crowds and the noise.

Luffy steps towards him, the deck of the _Going Merry_ creaking under the weight of his sandals. “Put my life before your dreams.”

It hits him then that Luffy is talking about what happened at Arlong Park—how he had tried to jump in after Luffy was sent to the bottom of the sea with concrete trapping his feet. He wonders briefly how Luffy found out, but decides that it doesn’t matter.

“I can’t promise that,” he replies levelly.

Luffy’s mouth twists into a scowl that seems completely out of place on him. “You have a goal. You have to be alive to reach it.”

“I can’t promise that,” he repeats, then adds, “You’re my captain.”

The shorter man’s jaw clenches, his fists balled at his side. “Yeah? Well, you’re my Zoro. Don’t do that anymore.”

And the stubbornness in his voice is familiar, more like the Luffy he’s used to.

Zoro softens, then reaches out, his hand sliding along the back of Luffy’s neck until he can pull him forward. Luffy stumbles, crashing into his chest, breaths turning ragged.

“I’m still breathing, idiot. Don’t go actin’ like I died,” he says, strands of dark hair tangling between his fingers.

Luffy nods against his shoulder. “You’re not allowed to. Captain’s Orders.”

Zoro laughs, his arms tightening around Luffy's waist. “Well, when you put it like that...”

“I do.” Luffy pulls away enough to look at the bandages circling Zoro’s chest. He traces his fingertips along them lightly, barely any pressure behind the motion, and bites down on his lip. “Does it hurt?”

“No,” Zoro says, shaking his head. It’s not a complete lie—the pain has almost entirely vanished, replaced by a dull ache.

Luffy nods and drags his fingers up past the bandages and over Zoro’s ribs, flitting over bare skin and lingering on his collarbone. Finally, his palm settles flat, right above the swordsman’s heart.

They stand like that for a long moment, a comfortable silence stretching between them. Eventually, Zoro brings his own hand up to cradle Luffy’s head, his thumb running along the outside of Luffy’s ear.

“I made you a promise at the Baratie. Do you remember?” he says softly.

Luffy’s brow furrows as he nods. “You said you’ll never be defeated again.”

“I meant it.” It’s not the oath that Luffy wants, Zoro knows, but it’s the closest thing he can offer him.

“Okay.” Luffy closes his eyes briefly, then brightens. “We should find an island to explore.”

Zoro laughs, the sound reverberating deep in his chest. “Yeah, alright. When we leave, we’ll tell Nami to find us an island.”

Luffy nods enthusiastically. “She _is_ our navigator after all.”

He’s tempted to let his curiosity fade away, to let the lighthearted subject matter remain, but Zoro has never been a coward, so he says, “What made you go after her?”

“She needed us.”

“She told us herself that she’s a thief that steals from pirates. Then, she took our ship and abandoned us in the middle of the ocean. That’s not exactly trustworthy behavior. And yeah, it turned out alright, but how’d you know?”

Luffy smiles, but it’s more muted than his usual grin. “The same way I know Sanji is still running from something. I just do.”

“You’re smarter than you make yourself out to be,” Zoro says. He’s not surprised—he's known since the moment he met him that Luffy is far more intelligent than he appears, that his boundless energy and carefree nature are masking something deeper.

With a shrug, his captain taps his fingers against Zoro’s chest. “The King of the Pirates can’t be completely helpless,” he says, dark eyes twinkling.

Before Zoro can say anything else, Luffy is pulling away, ducking out of his hold and scrambling across the deck.

“I’m bored. I’m gonna go find more food,” the younger man says, lifting his straw hat back onto his head and patting it down carefully. “You should sleep. The doctor said you need to rest.”

Zoro blinks, his arms dropping to his sides. “Yeah, okay. Stay out of trouble.”

“It’s not like I go looking for it,” Luffy retorts back with a huff. “It just kind of finds me.”

“Well, tell it to leave you alone today. We’ve had enough trouble to last us an entire year.”

Luffy chuckles, already preparing to swing onto the pier. “Okay.” And then he’s gone, flinging himself off the ship smashing into a nearby tree. He stands up, dusts off his vest, and disappears into the crowd, weaving his way through the various people and food stands.

Zoro watches him until he is too far away to see, until even the straw hat has faded from view, then reaches for his swords. He holds them tightly as he makes his way downstairs to the bunk. Luffy’s right—he’s supposed to be resting.

He rubs at his face as he drops onto the sofa, setting his swords to the side. His entire body aches and he can feel exhaustion settling over him easily as he closes his eyes.

++

He wakes up hours later to footsteps coming towards him. He recognizes the familiar sound of sandals slapping against the wooden floor, so he doesn’t bother opening his eyes. He just waits.

He hears Luffy shuffle towards him, muttering under his breath, but the words are too low for him to make out.

A weight settles against him, wedged in the space between his side and the back of the couch.

“Stupid Zoro,” Luffy mumbles, fingers twisting into the swordsman’s waistband. “I’m not more important than you.”

He disagrees wholeheartedly with that assessment, but he isn’t dumb enough to tell his captain that, so he just shifts enough to let Luffy more comfortably rest against him.

It’s not the first time Luffy has curled up next to him during a nap and he’s sure that it won’t be the last. It’s not like he minds it. At first, it surprised him, but now it’s just part of his routine.

He can feel Luffy’s breath against his throat—slow and steady—and he automatically wraps an arm around the other’s waist, hand curling over his hip.

“Go to sleep, Captain,” he says softly. “You need rest just as much as I do.”

Luffy yawns, his forehead rubbing against Zoro’s jawline. “I knew you were awake.”

He chuckles. “I don’t doubt it. Now, come on, go to sleep.”

As Zoro has come to find, Luffy falls asleep like he does everything else—abruptly and without restraint. It only takes a few seconds for Luffy’s breathing to even out completely, the tension leaving his shoulders.

He runs his thumb over Luffy’s cheekbone and studies the way his features are softened in sleep. It’s nice to see his captain looking so peaceful, especially after all that’s happened.

He thinks of Arlong with his sharp teeth and Mihawk with his sharp swords and concrete blocks around rubber ankles and knows without a doubt that Luffy was wrong.

“You’re more important than anyone,” he whispers just before he lets go of his last remnants of consciousness.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thanks for reading. I absolutely love this show and I think I’m currently on episode 48? Whichever one is the one that ends with Luffy looking out to the ocean, thinking about Loguetown, aka their next destination. 
> 
> I think that my next fic in this series is going to be about Loguetown because Luffy seemed a bit odd as he was looking out, so I want a scene featuring that. Also, there is literally no way Loguetown is going to be smooth sailing. My prediction is that Buggy is involved and Luffy will be in danger. 
> 
> I love you guys! Thanks for reading <3 I love to reread your comments. They always make me smile!


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